This invention relates generally to agricultural irrigation machines, and more specifically, to a bracket assembly that can be used to quickly and reliably change the height of sprinklers on drop hoses suspended from an overhead machine pipe or truss span.
In a typical center-pivot or linear irrigation machine, sprinklers are mounted on drop tubes connected to outlets spaced along the top of the pipe or truss span assembly that supplies water to the sprinklers.
There are times when it is desirable to raise or lower the height of the various sprinklers, relative to ground level. For example, it may be desirable to raise the sprinklers to accommodate the changing height of a crop during the crop-growing season. In another example, it may be desirable to lower the height of the sprinklers during windy conditions to minimize wind-blown vaporization loss.
There are various sprinkler height-changing techniques disclosed in the prior art, as represented in the patent literature. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,100, the sprinkler height is adjusted by looping the drop hose about the truss span. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,836, the sprinkler height is adjusted using pulleys or reels mounted on the truss span. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,365, the sprinkler height is adjusted by clamping the drop hose at the desired level.